Improvement in grain-meters



UNITED STATES i PATENT OEEICEo WILLIAM COLWELL, OF CHILLICOTHE, ILLINOIS.

lMPRQVEMENT IN GRAIN-METERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 166,593, dated August 10, 1875; application filed l March 31, 1875.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM GoLWELI., of the town of Chillicothe, in the county of Peoria, and in the State of Illinois, have invented an Im'-L provement in Grain Weighers and Registers; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which like letters of reference refer to like parts, and in Which Fig. l represents a side elevation 5 Fig. 2, an end view, with partA of inclosing-box removed; Fig. 3, a plan view., with surmounting spout removed.

rI he object of this invention is to weigh grain, and register the same automatically, in connection with avalve in the supply-spout for cutting off the supply the moment the weight is attained; and relates to that class of grain- Ineasurers which revolve on a horizontal axle having radial pockets which dump the grain at each count. The revolving receiver B is pivoted at each end of its axle at the end of the shorter arm of steelyard C, from which rises a pivoted arm, D, which stops the circuit of the receiver when the grain has been dumped, and steadies the same for the iilling of the next pocket. An automatic cut-off, fr', moved by a rod attached to the Steely-ard, "manages the supply of grain in the spout above. vThe registering devices areI operated by a trap, G, below, whose axle works the index-Wheels l m, and checks the undue rotation ofthe receiver B.

In the drawings, A represents the inclosingbox conveying the grain olf below, and having journals a a on either side, in which the double steelyard C C is pivoted, provided with removable weights c. At the bottom of this box is pivoted a duplicated or double-armed lever, G G, united by a diaphragm, p, which receives the dumped grain before it leaves the box, its axle t acting upon the index-wheels at each dump, at the same time that the cross-bar .r of the levers, by rising, checks the rotation of the receiver beyond the proper point. B represents the grain-receiver, pivoted, at the ends of the axle in the sides of the box A, in the short arms of the steelyard O C, and having four radial pockets, l 2 3 4, arranged around the axle, with vertical sides, and with a projection,

e, of the latter beyond the edge of each pocket, conforming to the circular shape of said sides, and to act as stops in the manner hereafter described. C represents the steelyard, having two parallel arms which support the axle of the receiver B between them in journals in the shorter arms, the longer arms being united by a transverse rod, c, which carries the weights o. Near the journals are the steelyard-scale pivots a a, rising from box A, near which is a pawl, 7s, uniting the longer arm of the steelyard with a Aratchet-wheel, r, on the axle of the said receiver B. D D are vertical arms,

pivoted to either arm of steelyard C O, and j united by a horizontal rod, IV, carrying friction-rollers g g on those parts opposite the the standards b b, and above the projections e kof the receiver B, to prevent the untimely rotation of the latter, and also to release the same when one of the rollers is thrown off by the standards b b. rlhese arms D are each extended below the steelyard in a curved arm, d d, limiting the motion of the same to its proper uses by rising vertically for a small distance above the connecting-bar of the arms or steelyard G O, and projecting over the same far enough to detain said arms d d, and prevent their attached roller-bearing bars I) D from falling away from the grainreceiver B more than sufficient to allow the lugs e to pass. E represents the spout for grain above the receiver B, and braced to and abovevthe box A. It has a cut-off valve, f, which stops the descent ofthe grain when the steel yard, risin g on the filling of a pocket, raises the attached rod i, pivoted to the crank at the end of the axle of said valve f, so preventing surplus flow, or waste, or overweight. F is the registering-box, containing two ratcheted wheels, l m, on a post, a, common to both, the larger one actuated by a pawl, q, connected by an arm, o, with the axle or pivot of the trap-lever G. This wheel represents the units, being numbered at each tooth from 1 upward, and, when it has revolved once, transfers the count to the outer Wheel m by means of a pin on its margin, which moves a pawl, s, engaged in the teeth of said outer Wheel. Each wheel is steadied by the usual tension-spring 7 and stops 5 6. A pointer, l1l h, is stationed opposite each wheel to indicate the exact point at which to read the count. A glass door, provided with a lock, maybe attached to the face of the box F.

The operation of this grain weigher and register is as follows: The grain runs in a stream down the spout E, which is provided with a cutoff valve, f, which is dropped, when apocket has received its proper weight of grain, by the rising ot' the steelyard C with the rod i, at the same time that the receiver rolls over onefourth of a rotation, bringing the next pocket beneath said spout. During these motions the tilting of the steelyard rolls the arms D D against the standards b b, the latter throwing` said rollers g of said arms D D 0E the projection e, to fall and catch the next projection e simultaneously .with the tilting up ofthe lower levers G G, whose rear bar x, which, striking the periphery of the receiver, also encounters a similar projection e below, both devices D G so acting together to keep the receiving-pockets at the proper points. As before said, the levers G G are tilted by the impact of the dumped grain upon the diaphragm p, so rotating slightly the axles t t of said levers, one of which is fixed in an arm or crank, o, bearing a pawl, q, which moves the unit-wheel of the index; but the register has been described already. The levers G G, when the grain has Slidden oi' the diaphragm l), fall back and rest upon a projection, l0, in the side of the box A.

lVhat I claim as my invention isl. The box A, when provided with steel yard C C, pivots a a, standards b b, and spout E, provided with valve f and with trap or levers G G,havinga connecting board or diaphragm, p, said levers pivoted by axles tt in the sides of said box in such a manner as to receive the impact of the dumped grain and transfer the motion to the register-pawl q, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The combination, with the box A, of the pivots a a, levers C G, with pivoted arms D D d d, provided with friction-rollers g g g g, substantially as described, together with the standards b b.

3. The combination, with the box A, ofthe pivoted levers G G, united by diaphragm p and cross-bar and provided with an arm, o, on the axle t, terminating in the registeringpawl q.

4. The combination, with the lugs e, of the rotary grain-receiver B, projecting beyond its circle, the cross bar as of the levers G G, as described.

5. The combination of the four-pocket receiver B, ratchet-wheel r, and pawl lo of lever C, as described.

6. The receiver B, in combination with and operated simultaneously by the lugs e, ratchet r, pawl k, steelyard C, provided with vertical arms d D, with rollers g g, and the rod of the levers G in the box A, as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing' grain weigher and register I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of March, A. D. 1875.

WILLIAM COLWELL.

Witnessesz.

H. W. WELLS, JAMEs M. MORSE. 

